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Windows Registry Tips and Tweaks
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These tips are provided as-is, with no warranty, either implied or otherwise. These tips do not include a thorough explanation of why you may want to use them, or why it might be a good idea not to. They are strictly meant to be a listing of registry tips and tweaks that I have collected over the years. Feel free to send me corrections or clarifications to
1. Default Mail Client 7
2. Generate Program Fault Log 7
3. Remove "Click here to begin" 7
4. Disable Windows Animation 7
5. Full-Color Icons 7
6. Preview BMP images in Windows Explorer 7
7. Windows Refresh Rate 7
8. Remove Hidden Shares 7
9. Outlook 2000/XP Restricted Filetypes 8
10. Display the Number of Network Errors for a Network Connection 8
11. Changes to the Windows Security Screen Title Bar 8
12. Thumbnail Size 8
13. Thumbnail Quality 8
14. Default Email Client 9
15. Restrict Users from Changing their Home Page 9
16. Delete Roaming Profiles when logging out 9
17. Delete NetMeeting Most Recently Used List 9
18. Require a Password in Order to Access a Workstation 9
19. Restrict Users from Changing Their Passwords 9
20. Remove Shortcut Arrow 10
21. View/Change System Variables 10
22. Force IE to Open with Full Screen 10
23. Change the Name of the Recycle Bin 10
24. Restrict Users from Changing File Types 10
25. Regedit.exe Favourites 10
26. Edit Windows 2000 “Open With…” List 11
27. Restrict Windows Setup Option from Add/Remove Programs Applet 11
28. Disable Personalized Menus 11
29. Working with Shares 11
30. How Many Processors Does Your O/S Support 11
31. Restrict Users from Accessing Windows Update 12
32. Clear the Windows Run Most Recently Used List 12
33. Change Main Network Provider (Novell or NT) 12
34. Remove Shutdown from the Start Menu 12
35. Password Reminder 12
36. Export Dial-Up Networking Settings 12
37. Force Windows to Crash 13
38. Hide the File Menu in Windows Explorer 13
39. Critical Update Notification Delay 13
40. Disable CD-ROM Autorun 13
41. Delete Content Advisor Password 13
42. Reset Internet Explorer Windows Size 13
43. Modify Right-Click Windows Explorer Context Menus 14
44. Browse Remote Computers Faster 14
45. Add a Right-Click Context Menu Item to an Unknown File Type 14
46. Change the name of My Computer 14
47. Clear the Outlook 2000 Most Recently Entered Locations for Meetings 15
48. Change Windows Explorer Pop-up Tips 15
49. Activate the NumLock key when Windows Starts 15
50. Power Down the Computer after Shutdown 15
51. Display the Windows version on the Desktop 15
52. Change Location of Windows Setup Files 15
53. Internet Explorer Context Menu Items 15
54. Internet Explorer Tools Menu Items 16
55. Restrict Users from Using GIFs and JPGs as Desktop Wallpaper 16
56. Restrict Users from Changing Desktop Wallpaper 16
57. Clear Internet Explorer Address Bar Auto-complete Entries 16
58. Restrict Users from Logging Off 16
59. Remove Background Tab from Appearing in the Display Applet 16
60. Scroll Start Menu or View Multiple Columns 17
61. Remove Browser Branding 17
62. Internet Explorer Window Title 17
63. Smooth Scrolling in Microsoft Word 17
64. Remove Desktop Icons 17
65. Start Menu Delay 18
66. Sort the Start menu 18
67. Remove Uninstall Items from the Add/Remove Programs Applet 18
68. Edit Windows Registration Information 18
69. Edit Windows Installed User Information 19
70. Change Windows Startup Items 19
71. Disable the mapped-drive reconnect warning 19
72. Turn off printer announcement broadcasts 19
73. Fix EXE Association Problems 20
74. Turn off Passport Reminder 20
75. Stop Windows Messenger from Starting with Microsoft Outlook Express 20
76. Logging Windows Installer activities in Windows 98 20
77. Run Defrag without Problems 21
78. Run Scandisk without Problems 21
79. Account Settings 21
80. Mail Rules 21
81. Set Temporary Internet Files Path 22
82. Clear Temporary Internet Files when Exiting Internet Explorer 22
83. Change the Temporary Internet Files Cache Size 22
84. Disable Balloon Tips 22
85. Decide whether you want dial-up passwords saved 22
86. Display Customized Message When Windows Starts 23
87. Suppress the Windows Tour Prompt 23
88. Disable The Getting Started Screen 23
89. Add TLDs To IE’s Autosearch 23
90. Refresh Windows Explorer Windows Immediately 23
91. Disable the Personalized Favorites Menu feature in IE 5.0 or later 23
92. Disable IEs HTML Source Editor Check 23
93. Disabling File Shares On Servers 24
94. Delete Page File When You Shut Down Windows 24
95. Minimize Outlook to the System Tray 24
96. Realigning Dropdown Menus 24
97. Display Start Menu Items in Alphabetical Order 24
98. Set Windows Explorer Toolbar Wallpaper 24
99. Enable Notification for Missed Scheduled Tasks 24
100. Turn off Low Disk Space Notification 25
101. Stop Win2K/XP From Fixing Broken Shortcuts 25
102. Setting the Cache Write Delay 25
103. Verify CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW Drive Types 25
104. Disable New Features of the Windows XP and Windows 2000 Shell 25
105. Change Taskbar Background Flashing Settings 25
106. Disable Office 2000 Clipboard 26
107. Remove Help Option From Start Menu 26
108. Modify the Number of Recent Documents Stored in the Documents Menu 26
109. Resize Windows Minimize and Maximize Buttons 26
110. Hide the Documents Menu on the Start Menu 26
111. Disable Documents Menu on the Start Menu 26
112. Change Your Default Html Editor 27
113. Track WindowsUpdate Processes 27
114. Set The Default Domain In Windows NT 27
115. Set The Alternate Default Domain In Windows NT 27
116. Do Not Display The Username Of The Last User 27
117. Disable Dragging To The Start Menu 28
118. Clear Windows Media Player Most Recently Used (MRU) List 28
119. Enable services through the registry 28
120. Disable Automatic Update Checking in Windows Media Player 28
121. Internet Explorer DNS Cache Timeout 28
122. Adding the My Computer Security Zone 28
123. Increase Icon Cache Size 29
124. Disable IE’s Clicking Sound When You Click On A Link 29
125. Change Default Wallpaper Folder 29
126. Hide Windows 2000/XP Places Bar 29
127. Edit Windows 2000/XP Default Places Bar 29
128. Reinstalling Internet Explorer 6.0 31
129. Reinstall Outlook Express 6.0 31
130. Show Which Domain a PC Is Logging In To 31
131. Find BIOS Information in the Registry 32
132. Disable Internet Explorer Advanced Tab 32
133. Display the local Administrator account on the Windows XP Welcome screen? 32
134. Tweak the registry to disable the Shut Down button 32
135. Disable Low Disk Warnings in Windows XP 32
136. Disable 8.3 characters names on NTFS partitions 33
137. Disable multi-user editing in Microsoft Word 2002 33
138. Disable the search assistant in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 6.0 33
139. Disable the Windows Explorer search assistant in Windows XP 33
140. Edit registry to read all e-mail as plain text 33
141. Overwrite Deleted Information in Microsoft Outlook 2000/2002 33
142. Stop unwanted user access by turning off cached logins 33
143. Change location of Print Spooler 34
144. Increase the priority of the print spooler 34
145. Right-click to encrypt 34
146. Shut Down Your Computer When Event Log is Full 34
147. Force NT Kernel to stay resident in Memory 34
148. Disable EFS in Windows XP 34
149. Reset Unread Email Counter on the Windows XP Welcome Screen 34
150. Remove Unread Email Counter from the Windows XP Welcome Screen 35
151. Remove the DFS tab from Windows Explorer 35
152. Disable Windows 2000's Scheduled Tasks drag-and-drop functionality 35
153. Reinstall Outlook Express 6.0 35
154. Load Balancing Your Network Cards 35
155. Keep Dial-up Connections Running When You Log Off 36
156. Suppress the Standard Machine Beep Noise 36
157. Change the Location For Storing Your Crash Dump 36
158. Disable Task Manager 36
159. Enable File And Directory Name Completion 36
160. Specify which disk-error-checking utility I want to use in Windows 2000 and later 36
161. Disable Fast Shutdown 36
162. Save Notepad Settings 37
163. Save Notepad Window Position 37
164. End Tasks Automatically 37
165. Disable Windows Messenger 37
166. Disable Windows 2000 Web Printing 37
167. Windows Media Player 7 Automatic Updates 37
168. Configure Microsoft Internet Explorer start and search pages 37
169. Configure multiple concurrent IE download sessions to one server? 38
170. Edit Disk Space Warning Message 38
171. Remember Windows XP Customized Folders 38
172. Remove Windows XP Notification Area 38
173. Stop Windows from caching a .dll file after I close the program that was accessing it 38
174. Disable the Windows Installer rollback functionality 38
175. Configure all Windows Installer installations to run with elevated privileges 39
176. Change the system font 39
177. Disable Last Access Time Stamp in NTFS 39
178. Set a limit on message recipients in Microsoft Exchange 5.5 39
179. Automatically log onto your workstation 39
180. Disable the Log Off Computer button 39
181. Disable the Turn Off Computer button 40
182. Remove the Network tab from Windows Media Player (WMP) 8 and later 40
183. Stop users from installing Windows Installer files for removable media 40
184. Protect against DoS attacks 40
185. Prevent computer from releasing its NetBIOS name 41
186. Change Wait to Kill Server Timeout 41
187. Disable the Windows XP Tour prompt 41
188. Disable importing or exporting their Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) Favorites 41
189. Disable Outlook 2002’s Persistent View 41
190. Clear the Google Toolbar search history 41
191. Remove the Properties item from the Recycle Bin's context menu 41
192. Hide drive letters in My Computer 42
193. Stop Internet Links from Opening in Internet Explorer (IE) Sessions 42
194. Stop Internet Explorer (IE) from creating the Links folder under the Favorites menu 42
195. Disable the Internet Explorer (IE) script debugger 42
196. Prevent users from running Cmd.exe 43
197. Hide Date and Time Information in the System Tray Notification Area 43
198. Hide a server from network browsers 43
199. Remove the Manage context-menu option for My Computer 43
200. Configure the Recovery Console (RC) to not require the administrator password 43
201. Change Backup Interval of the DHCP database 43
202. Prevent DNS spoofing 44
203. Disable the F3 key search capability for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer (IE) 44
204. Keep a particular user from appearing on the Welcome Screen 44
205. Recording The Reason For A System Shutdown In XP 44
206. Modify the title text of Windows Media Player (WMP) 44
207. Change the number of undo levels in Microsoft Excel 2000 and later 44
208. Change the number of undo levels in Microsoft Access 2002 44
209. Stop Microsoft Outlook 2002 from caching the Internet Mail Service (IMS) passwords 45
210. Clear the Windows Run Most Recently Used List 45
211. Prevent Windows Media Player (WMP) 8.0 and later from maintaining recent-files list 45
212. Clear Windows Media Player (WMP) 8.0 and later Most Recently Used List 45
213. Empty your Windows NT Documents During Log Off 45
214. Configure Windows XP Searches to Default to Your Preferences 45
215. Run commands automatically when a console opens 45
216. Increase logon timeout for slow networks 46
217. Add Internet time servers to Windows XP 46
218. Optimize the Server service for memory use or network throughput 46
219. Configure System Cache Setting 46
220. Customize the Windows Messenger Startup Message 46
1. Default Mail Client
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open\command.
Under command, enter the full path to the email client then %1
c:\internet\Netscape\program\netscape.exe %1
c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe %1
2. Generate Program Fault Log
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FaultLogFile
Value should be the path and filename of the log file
3. Remove "Click here to begin"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoStartBanner
Set this hex value to 01,00,00,00
4. Disable Windows Animation
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Control Panel \Desktop \WindowMetrics\MinAnimate
Set this to 1
5. Full-Color Icons
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\desktop\WindowMetrics\Shell Icon BPP
Give it a value of 16
6. Preview BMP images in Windows Explorer
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PAINT.PICTURE\DefaultIcon
Set value to "%1"
7. Windows Refresh Rate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Update\UpdateMode
Setting value to 00 will force an instant update to Windows Explorer.
8. Remove Hidden Shares
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\AutoShareServer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\AutoShareWks
Both of these REG_DWORD values set to 0 will prevent hidden shares from working (c$, etc.)
9. Outlook 2000/XP Restricted Filetypes
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Security\Level1Remove
It is possible to add Filetypes back into the OK zone. This will allow you to open these attachments from Outlook (they won’t be blocked).
This key lists all of the file extensions that will be blocked by Outlook. You can edit this key to either remove extensions that you want access to or add extensions that you want to block.
10. Display the Number of Network Errors for a Network Connection
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\Connections\StatMon\ShowLanErrors
(Windows 2000)
You can display a LAN connection-error count on the General tab of the connection's Status dialog box in Win2K This REG_DWORD when set to 1 will display the errors that have occurred over a network connection. The default value is 0 will not display the errors. Note that the Errors field looks a little odd, because of a bug in how the Status dialog box accommodates the error information.
11. Changes to the Windows Security Screen Title Bar
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ Welcome
(Windows NT/2000)
This REG_SZ data type will display a custom string on the title bar of the Windows Security Screen that you see when you invoke the Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke.